Songkran Festival วันสงกรานต์ (Wan Songkran)

09 february 2016

The Songkran Festival (pronounced sǒŋ.krāːn) is the equivalent of the western New Year and is celebrated for three days from April 13 to April 15. The name itself comes from the Sanskrit word Samkranti meaning “Astrological passage”.

The New Year is synonymous with transformation and change. Most countries in the South and East of Asia share the same date for New Year. The celebration respects the Buddhist and Hindu calendar and coincides with the rising of Aries on the astrological chart.

At 2019 Songkran Festival in Thailand will be from April 13 (Saturday) to April 15 (Monday).

Songkran 2019 — three Golden Rules

Different areas of Thailand have different traditions for the celebration. Koh Samui is located in the south where three major rules have to be respected during the duration of Songkran:

1) No one should work nor spend money during Songkran

2) No people or animals should be injured

3) No lies should be told during Songkran

In order to respect the first rule, people will usually start preparing for Songkran days in advance in order to be free from work during the three day celebration. The second rule is harder to respect as elephants play a big part, as they roam around the street spitting water at everyone. Not telling lies is never a bad idea.

How to celebrate Songkran on Koh Samui 2019

The tradition is to throw water at people during the three days in order to purify them for the New Year. Koh Samui because a gigantic pool party where young and old will use water guns and buckets of water to wet everyone in the streets. In recent years, younger people have started throwing chalk as a reminder of the colour products used by monks during ceremonies.

We advise you to be careful if you are driving during those three days. You should probably go out in Chaweng with a water gun and turn this celebration into a party with friends and family. Many food stands will appear around the island and it’s a great opportunity for farangs (foreigners) to enjoy Thai culture under the sweltering sun during the hottest month of the year.

If you want more information on the Songkran festival and the best places to be a part of the festivities do not hesitate to contact our concierge department at concierge@ivlproperty.com